Perspectives: The Hard Truth About Soft Skills
How winning hearts and minds is key to unlocking the workforce
You’ve read The Predictive Index’s new report all about why middle managers are not ok.
(You haven’t? Go read it! Then come back here. We’re diving deep…)
Turns out there’s more to the story. In their understandable pursuit of hard-and-fast business results, people-centric skills are too often overlooked. So-called “soft” skills—think communication, creativity, and having a growth mindset—are no longer optional. In fact, they hold the key to helping others realize their full potential.
In this episode, we’ll be taking a closer look at where people leaders need to do more to support their middle managers and ultimately the success of their business. Based on what we learned from surveying 340+ managers and people leaders, we know that soft skills offer a solution to the problems middle managers are facing (and creating!).
Join us to:
- Discover five critical skills people leaders often lack
- Learn how your middle managers can boost performance and employee engagement
- Identify your organization’s most pressing improvement areas
Panelists

she/her
Chief Change Office, The KARS Group LTD

he/him
Host of Leader’s Lens podcast and Creator at WorkWeek

he/him
VP of Talent Optimization,
The Predictive Index

he/him
VP of Professional Services,
The Predictive Index

Hema Crockett, she/her
Co-Founder, Gig Talent

Jackie Dube, she/her
SVP of People Operations
Explore other episodes

Perspectives: Startup Speed, Established Company | How Strategic HR Leaders are closing the gap
Your CEO wants startup speed. Your people need stability. You’re the one holding both. You’re not a startup. You have an existing workforce, compliance requirements, and a culture worth protecting. But the pressure to move fast isn’t going away, and “we’re too big for that” isn’t an answer your business will accept for long. The…

Perspectives: Hiring in the Land of Make-Believe
Cut Through the Performance to Hire with Confidence To make a new hire is to participate in a performance. Post a new job, and suddenly everyone is acting as if they’re on stage. Candidates are coached, polished, and increasingly AI-assisted. Meanwhile, hiring managers are pantomiming to the ideal candidate they’ve imagined instead of addressing the…

Perspectives: Running on Empty
How HR Leaders Can Reignite Team Motivation When the World Feels Heavy Team motivation is at a historic low, and it didn’t happen by accident. Today’s workforce is absorbing pressure from every direction: economic uncertainty, AI disruption, return-to-office mandates, and the quiet weight of personal stress. While nearly 8 in 10 employees start their current…